Pneumatic clock system



7 May .17, 1932.

M. FISCHER 1,858,955

PNEUMATIC CLOCK SYSTEM Filed March 19, 1927 Mariz'n Fischen Patented May 17, 1932 PATENT @FFICE" MARTIN FISCHER, F ZURICH, SWITZERLAND PNEUMATIC CLOCK SYSTEM 7 Application filed March 19, 1927, Serial No. 176,692, and in Switzerland March 21, 1926.

My invention relates to a central clock construction or system comprising a main clock including means adapted to produce, in predetermined intervals or intermittently, a vac uum or a pressure in a system of more or less distributed or branchedconduits for the pur pose of operating or synchronizing suitably constructed conjugate or subordinate clocks through the differences in pressure resulting 1c therefrom.

- In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification I have shown, for purposes of exemplification, two preferred embodiments of the essential and novel parts of the clocks, but for clearness sake I have omitted therefrom all those parts and mechanisms of the clocks which are of conventional construction and arrangement and, there fore, are known to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side view, partly in section, showing the pneumatic operating details of a clock construction or system,

Fig. 2 is a side view, partly in section, showing a crank mechanism in place of the lever mechanism of the piston of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic side, View of a 3G releasing mechanism,

Fig. 4a is a side view of a portion of the arbor,

Fig. 4b is a side view of the arbor of Fig. 4a in a diflterent position,

Fig. is a similar view in a still difierent position, and

Fig. 5 is a side view, partly in section, of the mechanism of a conjugate clock.

The main clock is provided and co-operates with a pneumatic cylinder 7, see Figure 1, with a piston 6 fitting therein, a driving rod 3 being pivotally connected to the piston 6. The toothed wheels 4 and 5 of the clock are mounted to permanently engage with each other, the wheel 4 having a square head on its shaft, being the driving wheel adapted to be actuated bylthe operating mechanism of the clock (not shown) so that the two wheels will rotate at the same time in the directions indicated by the arrows in Figure 1.

Fixedly mounted in thewheels 4 and 5 are a number of pins 25 which are located in certain predetermined positions so as to cooperate with a three-armed lever 1 pivotally fulcrumed at 2, during each revolution of the wheels 4 and 5. One arm of the lever 1 ispivotally connected with the piston rod 3 and it will be seen that while a pin 25 of the wheel 5 engages a lower free arm of the lever 1 and causes the same to move downwards, a correc0 sponding pin 25 of the wheel 4 will subsequently act to lift the other free arm-of the lever so that the continued revolutions of the wheels 4 .and 5 will cause, through the agency of the lever and the rod 3, the piston 6 to incessantly reciprocate in vertical direction.

The piston 6 acts in the manner of a counterweight with relation to the two free lever arms. If required a proportionate v auxiliary weight may be attached to the lever Til in any suitable manner for balancing purposes in order to obtain impellant forces pressure and suctionof the same value at the raising and the lowering movements of the piston 6.

In the modification illustrated'in Figure 2 a crank mechanism is substituted for the lever mechanism shown in Figure 1. In this embodiment the clockwork is adapted to engage with or operate the crank 10 for the purpose of reciprocating the piston 6 in the cylinder 7 by means of the rod.

In Figures 3 and 4a, 4b and 40, I have shown a mechanism suitable for releasing the described time actuating mechanism through the clockwork. The toothed wheel 4 which, as above described, co-operates with the wheel 5 to actuate the three-armed lever 1, is caused to revolve constantly in the direction indicated by an arrow in Figure 3. Adjacent to the wheel 4 a yielding bell-crank lever 12 is mounted to oscillate about a pivot 11.

The wheel 4, see Figure 3, is equipped with six pins or studs 25 symmetrically arranged in diametrical relationship and adapted to engage the short arm of the bellcrank lever 12 during the revolution of the wheel 4 in order to raise the said arm from the position shown in full lines to that illustrated in dotted lines. The star wheel 14 of the clockwork controlled by an oscillator 15,

is keyed to an arbor 13, having in its out wardly projecting end a cut or steep thread, as will be seen in Figures 4a, 4b and 4c. The wheel 14 possesses thirty teeth and is controlled by a second-pendulum to form the second=wheel. I

The drive for the wheels 4, and- His carried out either by means of a weightora spring in the direction of the arrows for wheels 4 and 5 and for'the 'second"wheel"14 in the direction of the clock .The drawings show a weight 27 for'drivingthe wheel 5:-and=a weight-27 for driving the wheel 14. The wheels 4 and 5 are driven the-driving meansiam d notfromsthe clockwork.

When the olodk:.:is. goingi the' anbori 1 3 and "the J star-wheel thereon "will revolve and at the same time the"wheel 4 of-therclockwork *iscaused'to revolve in'the direction iof the arrowvy due tothe action of the usual-driv- -ing spring, weight -or thexlike. During the nvolution 0f the *Wheel :4 -any :of '1 thesix *pins wfiilt-engage' the shorter arm ofvthe bellwank lever 'l2i 'a nd lift thesame so: thatthe flonger or:- upright a'rm -of the :lever @12 w-i11 come in contact with the arbor 1 3. "After a certain length of: time the contactingextrem- "ity of the} lever 12: engages in' the'thread, as -eh0'vm in Figure 4a, a ndowing to itsresiliency,' moves laterally in the thread towards 'the free erld of the arbonso'as to finallydis- =engage fe-om the arbor, as will he J readily unelerstood upon J inspection 1 :of Figs. 4a, 14b and 4c whi le thearboris constantly rotating andeontinuesto"rotateiafter the lever 12 has tlisengag-ed and has been caused subsequently, T- by the pressure exerted by the engaging "pin of the wheel 4, to adopt the positiorr shown in'idtted lines in #Figure 3 On 'thefcoi'itinued movement of the wheels i=4i a nd 5-the piston 6= is operated, asherein- "beforedescri'bed; and thereafter the lever '12 'is caused by the action of ai'restoringspring 96 to return 'to its position shown in'fu'll lines in Figure-3. ln doing'so the 'f-ree-extremity' 6f the lever reengagesthe thread of #theaarbo -but' of course "from the opposite =side, and is again ejected therefrom in" the mim'ner' above described.

In the meantime the pin which has engaged the shorter *arm of the" lever 12,- has moved 't'o be outef the way of: the returning lever "Innand the latter, theref0re, engages the mextpin in order to again lock the "wheel 4' which thusis stoppdmridnbt released "until thempright arm oft-he lever againdisengages -'from the'arbor'13,=--as*hereinhetore described. It will beseen that in' this manner- 'therelease isflifiieientlyand accurately controlled by the slow rotatmg thread or'oblique cut in the free end eithe arbor '13.

H he -rotation ofthe Wheels 4= and5 will be sawed-mp by-mea ns 6f-the-=pins25 in -such reducingitherebyrthe resistance of conduc- Figure .1, .is conveyed through a suitable conduit such as 8, see Figure 1, and 24, see Figure -5,' toa cylinder-.23. In ease-of a vacuum the piston 22 will be moved towards the top: ofthe cylinder and .the'rod'connectiugthe piston-with: a -lever"20, -will actuto "na'iselthe -lever'and in case: of a. pressure theypistou-EQ -will be driven towards "the open end zof-ritrhe cylinder andact 'to lower the lever 20. i'l he 55 --l1tt8ffl$ fulcrumed on a stationarypin: lfimn'd P ded with'a pinor.pawl 1911mm the meeting a point: of the two intermeshin i d 16; and. 17,"'which; possess each thirty circumferential teeth of triangular shape.

It avi'lllibe seen' that the rlever 20 is real roicated iby' thevup and "down movements/o :the

piston 22 :50 that "the 7 pa'wl alternatelyien- Sgages the wheel 16' and the v'vheel 171 "order to :feedrthemmne forwone asixtieth or? (me as -mirrute.c :The: minute hand of the conjugate clock is, as indicated in :Figure '5, positively connected "with athe 'rwheel F16 i in 1 amyappropriate' :manner. 'F-or zbalancingr purposesqthe lever 20 is COlll'ltCYWBlghtfilbYYIXIEBXIISUOfRB. weight 21 supported' by the free end of the .sa'me. VVhenithe:piston 6 of: the mainclock is drawn/out or aavay. from the .rbottom"of;the

cylinder 7 the piston ro'f the" conjugate clock will carry out at the same time a movement nin' opposite direction; that a is, towards the top 50f ithe cylindert23, and the 'return "moveiialso return-at: thesamertime.

The pneumatic clock constructions for-.syn- 1m chronizingiiag plurality of rclocks a as; hitherto constructed or suggested are usually :pro-

vided: with :air "conduits of T8, comparatively large cross-sectionaliareatforgthe purposewf tion. This is objectionable, however, for-the reason'ithat' the high-elasticity 'of the zair in tubular systems of: anlarge cross-sectionin- "volves a :high degree ef-resiliency or-cushioningresulting in considerable losses of energy.

After much :study'and "research I have found that it is possibleand ofadvantage to employ narrow pipes *or tubes inthe :pneu- I matic transmitting system and to use, es-

" pecially in the branch conduits,pipes or tubof an extremely small cross-sectional area. I In most cases a 'conduit' having canin- -ternal diarneter of about '1: to 4mm. will "-give"highlyisatisfactory results, sorthat, for

instance, in a pnemnatie transmitting-system of a total length of about 600 m. The air contained therein will amount to 3 to 4 litres only, whereby resiliency and loss of energy are minimized. The retardations occurring 5 in the conjugate clocks which are farthest remote from the main clock, amount, at the highest, to a few seconds only and are practically negligible. If it is desired, however, to remedy this unessential defect, throttling means may be employed. Thus by inserting capillary pipes into the conduits of the conjugate clocks which are least remote from the main clock the retarding effect will be great- 1y reduced and a noiseless running of the conjugate clocks will be obtained thereby.

It will be evident that my invention, whilst still being adhered to in its main essentials, may be varied and adapted in many ways, according to requirements desired or most suitable under difierent circumstances. I have not attempted to explain all of the minute details of the constructions and arrangement of the several clocks and the pneumatic synchronizing system controlling the same, for it will be understood by those to whom this specification is addressed, that the parts will necessarily be of the proper size and relationship and properly arranged to suit the purposes in view.

It seems unnecessary to reiterate the operation of the entire clock arrangement or system for the operation of the essential parts embodying the invention has been described in detail. Nor does it seem necessary to burden this specification with an exposition of the advantages which the invention possesses for they will be apparent to persons versed in the art.

What I claim is 1. A pneumatic clock system including a main clock comprising a cylinder; a piston in said cylinder; a three-armed lever having one arm pivotally connected with said piston; two intermeshing toothed wheels forming a part of the clockwork; and a series of pins arranged on each wheel to alternately engage the second and third arms of the lever to cause a pressure and partial vacuum in the cylinder by the piston.

2. A pneumatic clock system according to claim 1 comprising a star wheel for the clockwork; and a bell crank lever having one arm cooperating with the pins of one of the wheels and the other arm in communication with an arbor of the star Wheel of the clockwork to provide a periodic operation of the three-armed lever and the piston.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

MARTIN FISCHER. 

